Newport News couple loses 320 pounds after weight-loss surgery

This week, they weighed in at their one-year-later follow-up appointment.

Paris lost 133 pounds, and Donelle lost 187 pounds, for a combined total of 320 pounds.

With it, they reclaimed their lives.

"It was incredible. It was like a miracle for us," said Paris, 47, of Newport News.

Working long hours, eating late and being inactive, the couple added pounds over the years. Paris weighed 337 and Donelle weighed 567 pounds when they underweight surgery Dec. 15, 2009, one right after the other, at Sentara CarePlex Hospital in Hampton.

It started when Donelle, 43, hurt his back to the point that he couldn't walk.

"That was the straw that broke the camel's back. Excuse the pun," he said.

Then his wife got on board. She was tired of the health troubles — high blood pressure and pain in her back, ankles and knees — that obesity brought.

Things Paris used to enjoy became a bother. She'd wonder, before going to see a movie, can I fit in the movie seat? At a live performance, she'd think about how uncomfortable the seat was and wonder when the show would end instead of enjoying the event.

While shopping, her back, ankles and knees would her. She told her adult children to go on without her while she sat awhile.

"Shopping, which is something I truly enjoy, became a chore," she said. "Those became life issues every single day. Then you become a prisoner of your obesity. You look at your life and you say, 'Wow, this is ridiculous.'"

They both underwent banded gastric bypass surgery, which was mostly covered by insurance. The procedure made their stomaches, which are generally the size of a 2-liter soda bottle, to roughly the size of a thumb.

Over the next few months, they had to make lifestyle changes as their stomaches adjusted and stretched some. If they ate something that disagreed with them, they would get sick, so they had to relearn what they could eat.

It means denying themselves.

"I was a Pepsi fanatic," Paris said. "I really don't miss it."

Because they can eat so little, they make sure it's packed with nutrition. They stick to a high-protein, low-carb diet but give themselves permission to cheat every now and then. Paris' treat of choice is Peanut M&Ms because it's packed with protein.

Looking back, they learned they were "emotional eaters," Paris said. "When I'm stressed, I eat. When I'm angry, I eat. Extremely emotional times, I looked to food for comfort. I used to. I don't anymore."

She tries to exercise twice a week. Her husband faithfully hits up the gym three times a week.

"It's not about the appearance for me," Paris said. "I'm not defined by my appearance. It's about being healthy. To wake up and not hurt — oh, it's lovely."

It took awhile to adjust socially. So much of social interaction revolves around food. It made other people uncomfortable when they ate so little and so slowly, Paris said.

Thanksgiving was easier than she thought it would be. Paris prepared the meal and they ate small portions. She loves to cook and collect cookbooks (her favorite is "Healthy Soul Food Cooking"). Her kids can't tell when she adds Splenda to her baked beans. "I still do what I've done. I just adjusted it to my lifestyle."

Her advice to people facing calorie-laden holiday spreads is to drink a lot of water before you go to a holiday party. Avoid high-fat delicacies, or just have one. Load up on vegetables.

"Every party you go to, everybody has veggies. Stay with the veggies, the cheese, the high-protein things," she said.

What helped for the Harrises is doing it together and having each other's support as they underwent significant changes their diets and lifestyles, they said.

"It's wonderful to have my partner there through everything," she said. "It has strengthened our marriage and made it so much better."

"I couldn't have done this journey without her with me," Donelle said. "We check each other all the time."

When they married, Donelle said, they promised it would be forever.

"You just made forever longer," said Dr. Thomas W. Clark of Center for Weight Loss Success in Newport News. He performed their surgeries.

A lot of people think that weight-loss surgery is a quick solution. It's not. It takes diet and exercise, just like weight loss does without surgery, Donelle said.